None of Imagination, Art or Beauty can be described without the context of the other, As a potter who just does not make pots and build art, but also creates a beautiful work that adorns houses, beauty can be created only through Imagination and Art. These three faculties are essential for reviving our neighbourhood, with which its inhabitants lose interest and develop a sense of detachment with time.

What can be done

Many plans can be devised and implemented to help revive the interest in one’s neighborhood by fusing Imagination, Art and Beauty.

• Revive the abandoned buildings into cultural hubs
• Start a neighborhood library or book exchange that can share opportunities with those in the neighborhood.
• Start a local garden using unkempt patches of untended land where children and adults alike can contribute.
• Clear the mess around the neighborhood dumping area by painting the area with a message.
• Street art and wall art can transform dull patches of neighborhood, bringing communities together. Community members can work together to create large murals that instantly brighten up the area and injects life into abandoned public places.

Such interventions can also bring recognition to those artists who would have otherwise remained unnoticed. If approached with the right attitude, such activities can lead to more interactions amongst neighbors from diverse backgrounds, bringing more life in the neighborhood that can attract new residents and new businesses that support economic development. Society transforms not only through government policy but by people taking inspired action to follow their hearts.

On a different note, Imagination is also cash positive. Successful painters, writers, sculptors, , film makers can make money using their imagination and creativity, without making any significant investment. There is nothing childish or shameful in making imagination a vital part of our lives.

Our imagination is creativity, hope, potential and freedom all rolled into one, Through our imagination, we craft a vision of something new, different and better, unleashing Change. Art or beauty is not merely about a visual characteristic, but a deep harmony between a place and those who settle there.

 

About the author/s

The article is contributed by the following students from St. Josephs High School, Matigara, Darjeeling:  Komal Chowdhury, Kritika Jha, Prachi Agarwal and Vidhi Bansal.